Public Service

The most common category of nominations we received was what we have broadly described as public service. These are women who work to improve the communities and societies they live in.  They are the activists pushing for better housing in their neighbourhood; the healthcare workers protecting women who have been raped or the teachers working with street children.

Public service can be downgraded or under-valued. But without it our world is much more frightening and insecure. We are not just individuals – we are part of a broader community and society – so public service really matters. While there may be a stereotype of women as carers, this can also be a powerful role to take and many of the women in our list are caring in innovative and radical ways.

The women are listed in no particular order.

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Hariyatu Bangura. Photo: TUC

Name: Hariyatu Bangura

Where: Sierra Leone
What she does: Teacher and Women’s Leader in the Western Region of the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU)
Impact: Promoted better education in Sierra Leone and a more prominent role for women within the Teachers’ Union
Nominated by: Tess Gill

Full nomination here

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Name: Nan Sloane

Where: UK
What she does: Community Activist
Impact: Helps women overcome barriers to political participation
Nominated by: Marie Birchall

Full nomination here

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Aarti Naik

Name:  Ms Aarti Naik

Where: India
What she does: Educator
Impact: Gives slum girls access to resources to learn and achieve their full potential
Nominated by: Vipin Thekkekalathil and Deepak Panzade

Full nomination here

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Lyn Lusi. Photo: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund

Name: Lyn Lusi

Where: Goma, DRC
What she does: Co-Founder – Heal Africa
Impact: Restored the lives of hundreds of women affected by sexual violence
Nominated by: Mandy Marshall & Peter Grant, Co-Directors, Restored

Website: http://www.healafrica.org/

Full nomination here

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Rahima Khatun

Name: Rahima Khatun

Where: Margaon, Khansama Upazila, Dinajpur, NW Bangladesh
What she does:  Works tirelessly for women and children’s rights
Impact:  Has enabled families to feed their children nutritious food, go to clinic for safe delivery and other sickness, mass awareness on education , women and child rights
Nominated by:  Mobarok Hossain, Program Unit Manager, Dinajpur Program Unit, Plan International

Full nomination here

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Name: Iman Abou Atta

Iman Abou Atta

Where: UK
What she does: Founder and Director of SCEME, Social Change through Education in the Middle East and North Africa
Impact: Building bridges between Europe and Middle Eastern communities through her work with medical institutions
Nominated by: Marie-Charlotte Remy Macaud

Full nomination here

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Annys Darkwa

Name: Annys Darkwa

Where: UK
What she does: Changes the landscape of reintegration for ex-offenders by building links with private sector landlords
Impact: Vision Housing has housed 372 people since 2007, and their re-offending rate is under 15 percent, compared to a national rate of over 55 percent
Nominated by: Servene Mouazan, CEO of Ogunte

Website: http://visionhousing.org.uk

Full nomination here

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Name: Sister Josephine and the staff at St Annes Nursing Home

Where: London, UK
What she does: Elderly care home worker
Impact: Improves the lives of elderly people, treating them with dignity and kindness
Nominated by: Maire Messenger Davies

Full nomination here

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Liz Douglas

Name: Liz Douglas

Where: UK
What she does: Community activist and founder of The Roots Project
Impact: Empowered people form deprived neighbourhoods to achieve their goals
Nominated by: Servene Mouazan, CEO of Ogunte

Website:  http://www.developingpeople.org.uk/

Full nomination here

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Name: Katie Hagley

Where: UK
What she does: Promote Amos Trust and Street Child World Cup
Impact: Street children are no longer forcibly rounded up in Durban. Street children will be engaged, trained and encouraged to participate.
Nominated by: Ruth Thomas, One World Action Trustee

Full nomination here

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Firoza

Name: Firoza

Where: Bawniabadh, a settled slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh
What she does: Works tirelessly for women and children’s health
Impact: Women in her community are aware of health issues due to her constant counselling
Nominated by: Alamgir Kabir, Development Education Coordinator, Dhaka Program Unit, Plan International

Full nomination here

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Name: Katie Rizvi

Where: Romania
What she does: Child care worker 
Impact: Organised the care of traumatised children during the Balkans War, and has empowered teenagers cancer survivors
Nominated by: Paula Tonea

Full nomination here

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Name: Runa Laila

Where:  East Koimari (Ijaddarpara), UP- Koimari, Sub-district- Jaldhaka, Nilphamari, Bangladesh
What she does:  Works as a community development activist to establish women and children’s rights
Impact: Has improved children’s schooling, stopped child marriage, ensured birth registration, sanitation, etc which has a positive impact on the community
Nominated by: Hrishikesh Sarker, Program Unit Manager, Nilphamari Program Unit

Full nomination here

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Name: Marie Nicholsby

Where: Cyprus
What she does: Campaigner
Impact: Set up Alkionides charity in Cyprus helping poor families get medical treatment
Nominated by: Miriam Kennet

Website: http://www.alkionides.org/

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Name: Nihma Cande

Where: Guinea Bissau
What she does: Campaigns for better water and sanitation
Impact: Raised awareness amongst mothers about good hygiene practice
Nominated by: Anshu Rastogi, Plan International

Full nomination here

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Leila Bashir

Name: Leila Bashir

Where: Sudan
What she does: Literacy campaigner
Impact: Has trained thousands of women in the poorest parts of their world to take control of their lives through literacy
Nominated by: Anshu Rastogi, Plan International

Full nomination here

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Name:  Dr Hawa Abdi

Dr Hawa Abdi

Where:  Somalia
What she does:  Runs a hospital
Impact: Provided medical services for displaced mothers and children fleeing civil war

Website: www.dhaf.org 

Full nomination here

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Theresa Caroline Malila

Name: Theresa Caroline Malila

Where: South Africa and Malawi
What she does: Founder and Executive Director of Somebody Cares Ministries
Impact: Helping widows and orphans affected by HIV/ AIDS through outreach work
Nominated by: Gary Swart, TEARFUND

Full nomination here

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Name: Dr. Manda Mune

Dr Manda Mune

Where: Maharashtra, India
What she does: Doctor
Impact:  Empowers adolescent girls living in slums
Nominated by: John Griffin, Head of Programmes, The Karuna Trust

Full nomination here

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Name: Ana Hurtado Abad

Where: Mazuko, Amazonia, Peru
What she does: Youth worker
Impact: Has enabled young girls and boys to learn to live together respectfully, to bring change into their families and communities, to grow and aspire to and achieve a better life
Nominated by: Yolaine Labbé, One World Action

Full nomination here

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Dr. Madhuri Rana Singh

Name: Dr. Madhuri Rana Singh

Where: Nepal
What she does: Works to end violence against women
Impact: Founded SAATHI, helped to reduce Gender Based Violence, established first shelter in Nepal and trained others
Nominated by: Jaya Ram Nepali

Website: www.saathi.org.np

Full nomination here

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Name: Dr Caroline Bressey

Where: UK
What she does: Historical Geographer
Impact: Has undertaken groundbreaking research into black women living in Victorian Britain and the role of the anti-racist community
Nominated by: Bethan Cobley

Full nomination here

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Name: Esther Ngumbi

Esther Ngumbi

Where: Kenya
What she does: Educator
Impact: Has inspired and empowered others
Nominated by: Cailey Bronny

Full nomination here

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Marceline Kongolo-Bicé

Name: Marceline Kongolo-Bicé

Where: Democratic Republic of Congo
What she does: Leads SOS Femmes en Dangers
Impact: In the face of ongoing atrocities and violence against women in her country, she works to rehabilitate rape victims, and empower women throughout Fizi Territory so that they may better know their rights, defend themselves, and rally together to demand that the voices of the thousands of women raped monthly be heard and addressed
Nominated by: Helah Robinson, Vital Voices Global Partnership

Website: www.sosfedrdc.org 

Full nomination here

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Name: Serrin M. Foster

Where: USA
What she does: Works towards eliminating the root causes that drive women to abortion – primarily lack of practical resources and support
Impact: Has successfully advocated benefits for poor and pregnant women, raised awareness about pregnancy discrimination and worked to develop on-campus resources and support for underserved pregnant and parenting students
Nominated by: Yolaine Labbé

Website: http://www.feministsforlife.org/who/aboutus.htm

Full nomination here

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Name: Farhana Faruqi-Stocker

Country: UK and Afghanistan
What she does: Managing Director of Afghanaid
Impact: Improved access for NGOs in Afghanistan
Nominated by: Nick Hutchings, Reuben Ambicha, Amanda Curley and Kimberley Green, Afghanaid

Website: http://www.afghanaid.org.uk

Full nomination here

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Ena Abrahams outside the Connaught Day Hospital. Photo: Joe Curtis, Wanstead and Woodford Guardian

Name: Ena Abrahams

Where: UK
What she does: Retired but still a campaigner
Impact: Fighting to protect care for the elderly in London
Nominated by: Rosamund Urwin, journalist for the Evening Standard

Full nomination here

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Abha Shrestha

Name: Abha Shrestha

Where: Nepal
What she does: Outreach with sex workers
Impact: Women and girls are happier, and have more knowledge about STIs, HIV and AIDS
Nominated by: Jeevan Shrestha, Former Global Xchange Programme Supervisor from Nepal

Full nomination here

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Name: Dr Beatriz Acevedo

Where: UK
What she does: University Lecturer
Impact: Initiated an eco-audit of the university
Nominated by: Klaudia Meszaros

Full nomination here

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Jennifer A C Albano

Name: Jennifer A.C. Albano

Where: Philippines
What she does: Community Activist
Impact: Implemented participatory governance and progressive reforms across the Philippines 
Nominated by: Bethan Cobley, One World Action

Full nomination here